Kids Alone in a Hotel Room - What Age?

I would probably have done it at 12 with my kids. Heck, I'd bet money on them still being asleep at 11 am, especially when they hit their growth sput. When we traveled in Europe, our kids had their own hotel room and DD was 14. So they were alone for 8-10 hours.

If your son likes the idea, try it. There are tons of staff around and the chances of anything happening are pretty slim. Just be sure to warn him how expensive room service is and to keep the door closed.

I wouldn't have much of a problem leaving an only child (assuming he is responsible in other ways) for a short period of time in a hotel room. But under the circumstances where you are traveling alone with him and running a race, I think that there's too large of a risk (no matter what age) that something happen to you and he would be left alone to try to deal with a medical emergency or worse.

Two ways to handle this. One, tell your kid no room service or pay per view and remind them that anything they order will be itemized on your bill at check out. Presumably your kid is familiar with what happens at your house when he disobeys you and that is deterrent enough.

Two, leave a note with the desk that you are simply not authorizing any charges from your room. They can disable PPV and instruct the kitchen. These things are easily solved.

My 13 year old went on a school trip earlier this summer to Washington DC and New York. She stayed in a hotel room with three other middle school girls ages 11-13. There were 75 kids total on the trip. They managed their own room keys, met the behavior expectations the sponsor teachers laid out for them, went down and got breakfast on their own, etc. There were no complaints from other guests and most importantly, everyone returned safely. All of these kids spent whole nights in a hotel room without direct adult supervision!

To me there is a difference between a kid having their own room where there are parents/chaperones available right down the hall vs only hotel staff if he needed anything. Or kids having other kids that they know.

I'd say older than 11. I have a 14 year old and I would leave him for a shorter period of time, but he hates being alone for long unless he is at home in his room. I can't really imagine going somewhere that required a hotel and then leaving him for any real block of time unless we had been to that city/hotel multiple times and we were all familiar with it. An unfamiliar hotel and city, I am just not the type of parent to do it.

I would check with the race/hotel to see if they have any activities for spectators.

My son is only 2, but when I was in the 8th grade I stayed in a hotel room with other 8th graders with no adult supervision in the room, there were chaperones, but I don't think they visited us unless there was a problem. our school went to Washington DC and we had to be responsible to get to the bus on time, so I'd say by 13, unless your son had some sort of issues like he sneaks off, he should be fine. At that age I'd probably have slept in till you returned.

I'm not opposed at all to 'latchkey kids' and this question has very similar tones. All the same, when I read your question all that runs through my head is the name Madeline McCain. I realize that's such a remote possibility and that she was soo much younger, but that's still where my head is going.

We left DD 12 alone in our hotel room, several times, just last month... for the first time.  We were at DS basketball tournament, and she was only interested in watching her brothers games. DH or I would just run her back to the hotel when she was ready.(3-5 minute drive)  She played games on our iPad, Facetimed with her friends, edited photos she had taken on the trip, watched her cooking shows, and napped. She even pulled out some of the scrapbook stuff I brought, and started a mini album for the graffiti art she photographed the day before. She was very proud, and thankful, we trusted her enough to leave her in the room, and she took being responsible very seriously.

We do leave her alone at home, here and there,  so she is already comfortable being alone. We also spend about 20 nights a year in various hotels, and have since she was 2. Hotel rooms are a familiar setting for her, and again, something she is comfortable in. I'm not sure if I would have been so quick to let her stay by herself so much, if she wasn't a seasoned traveler. Hotels are not a curious place for her, so we didn't worry about her exploring the grounds, or calling room service, or ordering movies. These are things we get to do all the time, together. Only you know your child. My DD 12 is more responsible and mature than my 44 year old sister. Sad, but true.

I'm standing by my statement that four hours is too long to expect any child to sit in a hotel room for four hours. As a matter of fact, the older they are, the less comfortable I would be. Frankly, I wouldn't take my kids anywhere and ask them to sit in the hotel room while I did something I wanted to do. But that's just me.

Since the OP updated, I see that it's one older child who would be left behind. If she's comfortable with that, it's certainly not illegal. And if the child is okay being left behind, then I personally don't see a problem with it but I wouldn't leave two teenagers alone to their own devices.

Would I ever do it, though? No.

My dd is perfectly fine being left for 4 hours, especially during those hours. She'd read, watch TV, do her nails, take a super long shower since she can't do that at home. She's responsible and independent. Not all teenagers get into trouble.

In this case, with the OP being far from the hotel, I'm not sure if I would. I would worry about something happening to me and her having to deal with that.

Theoretically you could have a heart attack in the hotel pool right in front of her and she'd have to deal with that.  It's probably statistically much more likely that one or both of you will be injured in a car crash on the way to or from the hotel while she is with you.  Do you see where I'm going with this? 

If we let ourselves be controlled by all the things that "could" happen and never let our children out of our sight, instead of equipping our kids to deal with things in life, making sure they always know how to access their support network if mom or dad is not available, we raise a generation of people incapable of independent thought and decision-making skills.  Sixteen or eighteen, when they're already driving or going off to college, is NOT the time to start learning those skills.

Realistically, your child is in no more danger in a hotel room by himself than he would be by your side.  Kids can be trusted with hotel room keys, with getting breakfast on their own, and with spending time in hotel public spaces without making a nuisance of themselves if you expect it of them and have taught them to expect it of themselves.  If you've taught them that the world is to be feared and that they can't be trusted to make good decisions on their own, they'll probably prove you right.